The Proposal
by xoxoRuflyGirl
Summary: Aiden wants to have the perfect proposal when he proposes to Hope. He soon realizes perfect isn't going to come easy. This is a Hope and Aiden fanfic with a little bit of Chase and Ciara thrown in here and there.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Proposal**_

_**Chapter 1:**_

Aiden Jennings had a plan. He wanted to propose to his girlfriend of a year, Hope Williams. He wanted everything to be perfect starting with the ring. He didn't know her ring size, yet, he didn't want to ask her what it was, for she would surely figure out that he was going to propose. So, he had suggested to her that they have a movie night at her place. He planned on sneaking up to her bedroom while she was watching the movie with the kids. There, he would find one of her rings, put it in his pocket, then bring it to the jeweler the next morning to see what size it was and go from there.

So, here he was, an arm around Hope as they sat on the couch together underneath a blanket with the lights out. The kids were on the floor in bean bag chairs, digging into their bowls of popcorn as they all watched _Night at the Museum_. It was a cute movie, but Aiden had more important things to concern himself with.

Aiden kissed Hope's temple. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

Hope kissed his cheek. "Mi casa es su casa."

Aiden smiled at her. She was his world, and he could hardly wait until her home really was his home. Or maybe they would even get their own place. "I'll be right back." Before any of that could happen, he had to get a ring.

"Do you want me to pause it?" Hope called out after him.

"No, I've seen it before. You can keep playing it," he said. He then started to head up the stairs.

"We have a bathroom down here, remember?" she asked.

Aiden paused on the stairway. "Yes, I know, but I kind of want more privacy this time, if you catch my drift." His cheeks flushed. It was the only excuse he could think of to use the upstairs bathroom instead of the downstairs bathroom.

"He means he has to poop," Ciara said bluntly.

Chase made a face. "Gross, Dad."

Chase and Ciara both giggled.

Aiden quickly headed up the stairs, too embarrassed to even look at Hope. What he wouldn't do for love…

He headed down the hallway until he found Hope's bedroom. He then immediately began searching through her dresser, looking for any ring of hers he could find.

"Come on, where do you keep your jewelry?" he asked quietly to no one in particular. He couldn't find a single piece of jewelry in her dresser. He headed over to her vanity, and still found nothing. Next, he went to her closet. He found a jewelry box. "Yes!" he said.

"Aiden, are you all right? Where are you?" came Hope's voice from just down the hall.

Panicking, Aiden left the box where it was. He quietly and quickly closed the closet door, then quickly rushed into Hope's bathroom and shut the door.

Very soon after, he heard her voice right outside the bathroom door. "Aiden? Are you in there? You've been up here a while, so I came up to check on you."

"Yes. Sorry. I'm really not feeling well all the sudden," Aiden called out.

"Not that I mind, but what are you doing using my bedroom bathroom? The one in the hallway was closer," she called in.

"I know, but I wanted a lot of privacy. I still get embarrassed going to the bathroom at someone else's house when I have to…you know." Aiden blushed again. He was digging himself a deeper hole, he knew but he was willing to put up with the embarrassment for now if it meant Hope being surprised when he proposed.

"Do you need any stomach medicine?" she asked.

"I'm good, thanks," Aiden said. You know what? I'm starting to feel better now that I've gone to the bathroom. Why don't you go downstairs and make sure Ciara and Chase aren't having a popcorn fight again? I'll be down as soon as I finish up here."

"Yeah, I suppose I better. They made a mess of the kitchen earlier. The last thing I need is for the family room to have hidden kernels everywhere. Are you sure you're all right?" Hope asked.

"I'm fine. I'll be down in just a minute," Aiden said, silently willing her to leave.

"All right," Hope said.

Aiden waited until he was sure she was gone. Then, he flushed the toilet and washed his hands just for show before heading out of the bathroom and over to her closet. He found the jewelry box again and opened it up. "Jackpot!" he said as he found a whole line of rings propped up in the ring holder section of the box. He took the first one he could find, then placed it in his pocket. He started to close the lid.

Suddenly, a voice started him.

"What are you doing?" the voice asked.

Aiden dropped the box from being so startled. Hope's jewelry sprawled all over the closet floor. His face flushed as he instinctively cursed. Then, his heart pounded as he registered that someone else was in the room, and had seen what happened.

He looked up and his cheeks flushed even warmer when he saw none other than Ciara standing there, staring down at him. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was tapping her foot impatiently. "I asked you a question and I'm waiting for your answer."

Aiden swallowed hard. He was busted by a brat.

Aiden quickly scrambled to put the jewelry back in the box before Hope decided to come up and see what was going on. "Ciara! Hi." He laughed nervously. "What are you doing up here?" I thought you were watching the movie."

"Chase had to use the bathroom, so we paused it. I came up to get a blanket, and heard you nosing around in my mother's room," Ciara said, her arms still crossed over her chest. "Care to explain?"

Aiden sighed. Why did Hope have to have a daughter who was wise beyond her years? Why couldn't Ciara be a sweet little girl who minded her own business? "Well, you see, I was looking through your mother's necklaces to see what ones she already had. I want to surprise her with a new one, and I didn't want to give her something she already owned."

"I see." Ciara raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing you don't want me to tell my mom about this."

"That would be nice if you didn't," Aiden said. He got the jewelry back in the box, closed the lid, placed the box back where it was, then stood up and closed the closet door. Thankfully, it didn't appear that Ciara had seen him place one of Hope's rings in his pocket.

"If you want me to keep my mouth shut, it will cost you," Ciara said.

"Of course it will," Aiden replied. He had had no doubt that Ciara wouldn't keep her mouth shut just for the sake of being nice. "What do you want?"

"Well, I would like a necklace of my own—one even nicer than the one you plan to get my mother." Ciara grinned. "I'm thinking somewhere around the thousand dollar price range? I want real diamonds."

"Ciara, don't you think a thousand dollars is a little expensive?" Aiden asked, loosening the collar of his shirt. This girl was going to bleed him dry one day, he knew.

Ciara shrugged. "You're a lawyer. You can afford it. I prefer something from Tiffany's. I saw a little bow necklace advertise that would do just fine."

"I don't think your mother would like me buying you a thousand dollar necklace," Aiden tried.

"She doesn't have to know where it came from or how much it costs," Ciara said simply.

"Still, a thousand dollars is a lot of money, and —"

"Mom!" Ciara suddenly called out loudly.

"All right, all right! I'll get you the necklace. Just don't tell your mother," Aiden said, holding out his hands to her, fingers up.

Ciara grinned. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Jennings! Now we both better get out of this room before my mother comes in and catches us."

Aiden nodded. "Right!" He quickly followed Ciara out of the room, silently wishing once again that Hope wasn't the mother to such a conniving little girl.

The movie ended forty-five minutes later, and Aiden and Chase prepared to leave.

"I'll see you in school tomorrow," Chase said to Ciara.

"All right. I hope Billy remembers to bring the frog," Ciara said.

Chase grinned. "Oh, he will. This will be hilarious!"

Both kids giggled.

Hope raised an eyebrow at Aiden.

"I learned it's better not to ask," Aiden said.

Hope nodded. "You're probably right."

They kissed.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Hope asked, gently pushing some hair out of Aiden's eyes.

"Like I could bear going a day without seeing you," Aiden said, his eyes lowered with love for Hope.

Hope pulled him closer, and they kissed again.

Ciara cleared her throat. "Can you two please not make out in front of us? It's really gross!"

Chase nodded. "Very!"

Hope and Aiden rested their foreheads against each other's and grinned.

"I'll be counting the hours until they're in school," Aiden said.

Hope kissed his cheek. "Me too."

They grinned at each other, then after saying one final goodnight to Hope and Ciara, Aiden left with Chase.

"You really love her, don't you, Dad?" Chase asked as they headed to their car.

Aiden smiled as he thought of Hope smiling when he proposed to her. "Yes, Son," I really do."

That morning, Aiden made sure to drop Chase off at school, then get right on over to Tiffany's. He figured he might as well buy Hope's ring there since he had to get Ciara's stupid necklace anyway. For a while, he had toyed with the idea of forgetting Ciara's necklace all together. After all, he would have proposed to Hope by the time Ciara found out he wasn't really going to buy her the necklace. However, he thought better of it. Like it or not, Ciara might just possibly be his stepdaughter soon. He shuddered. It was best he didn't start off on her bad side. He'd seen it before, and wasn't keen on revisiting it any time soon.

"May I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked him.

"Yes! I'm looking for two things. The first is a diamond bow necklace. Do you have anything like that?" he asked.

Suddenly, he got a text alert. He looked at his phone and saw that Ciara had texted him a picture of the necklace she wanted. He rolled his eyes, then showed it to the woman. "This?"

The woman smiled. "Ah, yes! That is a very popular item. Let me get that for you." She walked down the line of jewelry cases until she came to the one with the necklace. She unlocked the case, then took the necklace out. "This one is $1,350," the clerk told him. "Before tax."

Aiden let out a forceful breath. "The little gold digger."

"Pardon?" the woman asked.

Aiden shook his head. "Nothing. I'll take it. May I please see the engagement rings now?"

"But of course!" the woman said bringing him over to rows and rows of beautiful, shiny diamond rings.

There were so many to choose from, he couldn't decide at first. He thought of a heart shaped ring because Hope was his heart. However, it looked too plain for him. Anyway, he didn't really know if it was her style. Then he saw it. It was a platinum ring with diamonds on the band. The diamond itself was square. It was lined in a row of pink diamonds with another row of white diamonds that lined the pink diamonds. "I like that one," he said. It looked like a ring fit for a princess. He knew that Hope would look amazing wearing that ring.

"Oo, that's a nice one! This one is the Tiffany Soleste® Cushion ring. It is a cushion cut diamond with pink and white bead-set diamonds," the woman explained.

"How much is it?" Aiden asked.

"This one is going to be $18,100," the woman answered.

Aiden coughed. "Whoa, that's a lot of money!"

"You need to look at another one then?" the woman asked, giving him an understanding smile.

Aiden thought of Hope's smile as he placed the ring on her finger. He saw her eyes light up and heard the excitement in her voice as she squealed. He also thought about their first kiss and about the first time they made lough. He thought of her laughter, and he thought of how she was so willing to cover up the fact that Chase accidentally killed his mother. He had no doubt in his mind that Hoped deserved this ring no matter how expensive it was. Anyway, as bratty as she was, Ciara was right—he was a lawyer. He could afford it.

He smiled at the woman. "I'll take it!"

That evening, Aiden picked up Hope at her house. He had called her earlier to plan the date for tonight. First he was taking to her Chez Rouge, and then he was going to take her for a walk by the lake. There, he planned on proposing to her in the same spot he had first kissed her. He wanted everything to go perfect. Chase was going to hang out at Ciara's with Ciara and the babysitter while they were on their date.

Ciara opened the door when he knocked. "Hello, Aiden." She held her hand out. "Mom's upstairs getting ready. Now hand it over, or I tell her about the surprise."

Aiden put on a fake smile. "And it's so nice to see you too, Ciara." He handed her the Tiffany's box containing her necklace.

Ciara's eyes lit up, and she eagerly opened it.

"Is that the one?" Aiden asked.

Ciara nodded. "Oh, it's the one all right! Thank you!"

"Remember, don't tell your mom," Aiden told her.

"Don't worry. I have hiding places my mother doesn't know about it. Anyway, if she does see it, I'll just tell her it's from Forever 21," Ciara said, quickly heading upstairs to hide her treasure.

"I worry about what she hides in those places," Chase said.

Aiden placed a hand over his son's shoulder. "Don't we all, Son. Don't we all."

A moment later, Hope came down looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. Her hair was curled and pinned up with two tiny curled strands of hair—one on each side of her face—hanging down. She wore a beautiful red lace dress that was low-cut and form-fitting. Her lips, heels, and nails matched the ruby red color of her dress.

"Wow," Aiden said, hungrily looking her up and down.

"Is it too much?" she asked.

Aiden shook his head. "No, it's perfect. _You're_ perfect."

Hope smiled. "Thank you. So are you." She walked over to him, and straightened his navy blue silk tie that matched his navy blue suit. "You're so handsome."

"You should have brought her roses," Chase said.

Aiden blushed. "He's right. I totally should have. I just got so wrapped up in something else that it didn't even cross my mind."

"Are you kidding me? You don't need to give me flowers! I'm just happy to be going out with you," Hope said.

Aiden looked down at Chase. "When you get a woman who says that, Son, you never let her go."

Chase grinned. "And when you get a girl like Ciara, you run for the hills."

Aiden laughed, then quickly shut up as Hope cleared her throat. "I mean, Chase, apologize. That wasn't nice."

Chase smiled. "Sorry, Hope. I was only teasing."

Hope smiled. "That's all right. Believe it or not, I do have a sense of humor." She smiled and winked at him. "Just don't tell Ciara what you just said. Unfortunately, she does not have one."

Chase nodded. "Good to know."

The babysitter arrived then, and Ciara came back down the stairs.

After some brief instructions to both the babysitter and the kids, Hope and Aiden were ready to leave.

"Have fun tonight," Ciara said with a smile and a wink.

"We always do," Hope said, smiling back at her. She kissed her forehead. "I want you in bed by nine."

Ciara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

"We'll try not to be back any later," Aiden said to Chase.

"I'll just nap on the couch until you get back if you're late," Chase said.

"All right," Aiden agreed.

Finally, he and Hope left.

Aiden opened the car door for her, and she got in.

"Thank you! Who says chivalry's dead?" she asked.

Aiden grinned. He kissed her cheek then shut the door, before walking around to the other side of the car and getting in as well. He then started up the car, and they were off. However, halfway to the restaurant, the car stalled.

"What's wrong?" Hope asked.

"I don't know, I…." Aiden trailed off as his eyes fell upon the gas gauge. "Oh, no! I forgot to get gas! I knew I was low earlier, but I kept putting it off, and I got so busy preparing for the date, it just slipped my mind completely!" Aiden said.

"Do you have a gas can in your trunk?" Hope asked.

Aiden sighed. "Yes, but it's out of gas too. I'll have to walk the mile back to the station."

"I can come with you," Hope said.

"No, you've got heels on. I'm not going to make you walk." Aiden sighed. "I'll be back. I'm so sorry about this. I'm such an idiot!"

Hope smiled, and gently stroked his cheek. "Don't worry about it. It's just a minor setback. No big deal."

Aiden kissed her forehead. "I'll hurry back." He then got out of the car and shut the door. Then, he retrieved his empty gas can from the trunk, slammed the trunk, and then headed off for his mile-long walk to the gas station. So much for their reservation! He only hoped this wasn't any indication of what the rest of the night would hold.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2:**_

"See? That didn't take long, did it?" Hope asked once she and Aiden arrived at Chez Rouge.

"We're an hour past our reservation," Aiden grumbled. He wanted this night to be perfect, and instead he had to walk a mile to, and a mile from to get gas because he had been too stupid to remember to get gas _before_ he ran out.

Hope latched her arm in his, and kissed his cheek. "Maggie will get us in. No worries."

They headed in to the hostess. It was a girl they had never seen before.

"Hello, we had a reservation for two under Jennings. We're an hour late because my car ran out of gas. Is there any chance you have a table for two still available?" Aiden asked her.

The hostess winced. "Oo, I'm sorry, but we're all booked. I could get you a table, but you'll have to wait another hour at least. We have a wedding party here, as well as a business convention in town, so we're a lot busier than usual."

"Of course you are," Aiden muttered.

Hope placed a hand on his arm to calm him. "Is my aunt here?" she asked the hostess. "Maggie Horton is my aunt," Hope tried.

The hostess shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. She is out of town celebrating her anniversary with her husband."

Hope sighed. "Well, it looks like The Brady Pub for dinner."

Aiden followed her out of the restaurant. He felt like throwing a tantrum, but he knew he couldn't. It would ruin their night more than it already was.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to take you somewhere nice," he said as he held the car door open for Hope.

Hope raised an eyebrow. "You don't think my family's pub is nice?"

Aiden blushed. "I don't mean that. It's nice. I just meant, I wanted to take you somewhere fancier."

Hope sat down. "You should know me by now, Aiden. I don't need all the fancy stuff. All I need as you." She smiled at him.

He smiled at her and shut the door, then walked around to the other side of the car and got in. Even so, he wanted things to be better for Hope than they currently were. Oh well, he figured. At least he still had the proposal.

"Well, I was expecting to buy you steak, a baked potato, and wine, not burgers, onion rings, and beer. But at least this food is still good," Aiden said as he and Hope enjoyed their meal a half hour later.

Hope nodded. "And hey, that's one of the perks of my family owning the restaurant—our order gets bumped to first."

Aiden laughed. "True." He held up two onion rings to his eyes, and looked through the holes. "Hey, Hope, would you still love me even if I had glasses?"

Hope, who had been sipping her beer, snorted, and spit out her beer—right into Aiden's face.

Aiden closed his eyes as they got showered with her beer.

Hope immediately covered her mouth with her hand, but she laughed behind said hand. "Oh my gosh, Aiden, I'm so sorry!" She giggled. "Really, I'm sorry."

"I guess that's what I get for being funny, huh?" Aiden asked, putting on a smile even though smiling was the very last thing he felt like doing. Now his face was all sticky, and he smelled like beer. He wasn't angry with Hope. How could he be? He loved making her laugh. Anyway, it was an accident. Still, it was just one more blemish on his so called perfect night.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't even that funny. I don't know why it struck me as so funny," Hope said grabbing a napkin, then getting out of her chair and walking over to dab Aiden's face for him.

"Hey, if you're going to spit beer all over me, at least let me have being funny," Aiden joked.

Hope smiled as she dried off the beer from his face. "You're not only funny, you're hilarious," she offered.

Aiden smiled weakly. "Thanks."

"Instead of using them for glasses, try one," Hope said. She picked up one of his onion rings and brought it to his lips. "They're really good."

Aiden opened his mouth, and let her feed him one. He chewed the onion ring, tasting it, and realizing it really was good. He swallowed the onion ring, then licked his lips. "You're right. They are really good. Though, maybe having onion rings isn't such a good thing if I plan on kissing you any more tonight, which of course I do." He winked at her.

"Hope sat on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She then brought her lips to his ear. "I don't know. I'm willing to overlook the onions as long as your lips are on mine."

Aiden's eyes lowered as he looked at her. "Onions do taste better on your lips than they do by themselves."

Hope grinned, and then took his face between her hands and kissed him softly on the lips. She then licked her lips. "And they taste even better on _your_ lips."

Aiden pulled her in closer, and kissed her more passionately.

They remained kissing until they heard Caroline clearing her throat. "I'd ask if you two wanted dessert, but it appears you're already having it."

Hope and Aiden quickly stopped kissing, and looked over at her. Aiden blushed, and Hoped grinned.

"I think I'm good on dessert, but the burger and onion rings were delicious, thank you. As was the beer of course," Hope replied.

Caroline smirked. "But not as good as Aiden's lips, right?"

"Why don't you be the judge of that?" Aiden joked, to break the ice. He tapped his lips.

Caroline laughed. "Aiden, I don't think an old woman like me could handle a young handsome man like you. Besides, I don't think Hope is one for sharing."

Hope laughed. "Oh, Caroline, you know me so well." Hope got off of Aiden's lap, and walked over to Caroline. She hugged her. "I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, seeing me with Aiden."

Caroline hugged her tightly back. "Oh, don't worry about it. My son abandoned you. I love him, but that is not how I raised him. If Aiden treats you better than my son does, then you should be with him."

"Thank you, Caroline. I appreciate that more than you know," Hope said.

"You two have a good night now," Caroline said.

"Thanks. We'll try!" Aiden said. He knew he was just in a mood, but he found it embarrassing to be caught making out with Hope by Hope's ex-mother-in-law. He left the money for dinner, along with a generous tip for Caroline, then he and Hope prepared to leave.

"So, are you ready to head home?" Hope asked.

"Actually, I thought we'd go for that walk by the lake, like I talked about," Aiden reminded her.

"Oh, yes! I forgot about that. Well, let's head on over then, shall we?" Hope asked, latching her arm through his.

Aiden wrapped one arm around her, and felt in his pocket with his free hand. In less than a half hour he would be proposing to her. He was nervous, but it would be all worth it, he knew.

They waked hand-in-hand by the lake. It was such a peaceful night. The stars shown beautifully, and no one else was in sight. The only sound that could be heard was the water from the lake, and a few crickets chirping here and there.

"Isn't it a nice night out tonight?" Hope asked, looking up at him as they walked.

Aiden grinned. "Yes, it is." He stopped her, and made her face him. "It's perfect for kissing."

Hope grinned as well, and they kissed.

Now was the time. Aiden knew this moment was perfect for proposing to her. Except for the fact that they weren't quite in the spot where he had first kissed her.

He broke the kiss. "Let's go a little ways further up."

"Okay, what's further up?" Hope asked, a curious expression on her face.

"Don't you remember?" Aiden asked her.

Hope paused, trying to rack her brain for the answer. "I'm sorry, I honestly don't remember."

Aiden motioned her to follow him. "Follow me. Maybe once we're in the spot, you'll remember." He quickly turned and headed toward the spot, eager to get there so that he could finally propose to Hope once and for all and hopefully make her permanently his. He even got the ring out, ready to hand it to her at the perfect moment. Unfortunately for Aiden, he didn't see the big stick in his way. He stripped over it and fell flat onto his face—literally. To make things worse, he fell right into a huge pile of mud. It wasn't a mud puddle, but rather a huge, literal pile of mud.

"Oh my gosh, Aiden, are you all right?" Hope asked, rushing over to help him out.

"Other than a bruised ego, I think so," Aiden grumbled as he let her help him up. "Great! I'm all covered in mud. This is just great!"

Hope laughed. "You look so funny! Like a swamp monster or something."

Aiden fake laughed. "Hilarious."

Hope's eyes suddenly fell upon something. She walked over to a spot a half foot away, and bent over to pick something up. "Is this yours?" she asked, holding it out for Aiden to see.

Aiden sighed as he saw the ring box in her hands. And there was the final piece to ruin the proposal. He should have known nothing could ever go smoothly for him.

He looked down at the ground. "I wanted everything to be perfect, and it all just went wrong. So terribly, terribly, wrong."

"Aiden, is this what I think it is?" Hope asked, her tone quiet.

"You might as well open it and find out," Aiden said.

Hope shook her head and handed the box back to him. "No. You open it. It's your job."

"I'm all covered in mud. Let's just forget you ever saw that for now," Aiden said, about to put the box back into his pocket. If he had just kept the darn thing in his pocket, it would have still been safely in his pocket, and Hope would have been none the wiser.

Hope placed a hand over top of his to stop him from putting the ring back into his pocket. "No. I want to see what's inside _now_. I don't care about the mud."

Aiden sighed. "As you wish." He got down on one knee, and opened the lid.

Hope gasped, and covered her mouth. "It's so beautiful. It's like a princess ring!"

Aiden smiled, temporarily forgetting that he was covered in mud. "That's what I thought too when I first saw it. I knew then that I had to get it for you because you are my princess. Actually, you're my Queen. Meredith and I may never have had the best relationship, but still… After she died, I never expected to fall in love again—ever. Then you came along. Sure, it started off rocky, mainly because of me. All right, let's be honest, it was _all_ because of me. Still, as hard-nosed as I tried my best to be, you somehow managed to break down my walls. In fact, you annihilated those walls, Hope. I fell so hard and fast for you, and now, whenever we're apart, I feel like I can't breathe. When you found out about what I had been covering up, I thought I'd lost you for good. The only thing keeping me from completely shutting down was the fact that I still had to be a good father to Chase. When I found out you not only still wanted to be with me, but would help to protect my son even though it goes against everything in your line of work to not go to the authorities… Hope, I knew I could never live without you. I waited a year to make sure, but deep down, I already knew for sure the day I fell in love with you. So, without further ado, I'm asking you now. Hope Williams, will you please make me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife and letting me make you Hope Jennings?"

Hope was speechless for just a moment, as her eyes filled with tears.

Aiden's heart sank a bit. "If you need time to talk things over with Ciara first, I understand. I know this must be a difficult decision to make. I mean, you loved Bo so much. Maybe you're not ready to make another commitment like this."

Hope shook her head. "No."

Aiden felt his heart sink even further. "You're not ready, or you just don't want to marry me?" he asked with a shaky voice.

Hope shook her head again. "No. I don't need to discuss this with Ciara. This is my decision to make. And no, I'm ready."

Aiden smiled, his heartbeat picking up. "So, does this mean, you'll marry me?"

Hope grinned big. "Well, duh!" She wiggled her left ring finger at him. "Now put my ring on me. After all, I'm the princess—excuse me, I'm the _queen_. I demand it!"

Aiden grinned too, and quickly slid the ring onto her finger. "You've just made me so happy!"

"Not as happy as you've just made me," Hope said, her eyes lowered with love for Aiden.

Aiden stood up, and sighted contently. "I'd kiss you right now, but I don't want to get mud all over your dress."

"Screw the dress," Hope said, coming closer to Aiden. "That's what dry-cleaning's for."

"I'll pay for it," Aiden said before pulling Hope into a long, tender, and passionate kiss.

When they broke the kiss, Hope went back to admiring her ring. "I love it so much!"

"I love _you_ so much," Aiden said.

"What time is it?" Hope asked.

Aiden looked at his watch. "Eight o'clock. Eating at The Brady Pub saved us a lot of time."

Hope grinned. "See? Things not turning out the way you planned can sometimes actually make the night more perfect than you planned."

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

Hope smirked, and raised an eyebrow of her own. She then ran her hands slowly over Aiden's chest. "Because now, we have time to go back to your place and celebrate our engagement in a nice, empty house."

Aiden moaned. "Let's go."

Hope grinned. "I knew you'd see things my way."

"Well, since we're here, we might as well get you in the shower, Mr. Jennings. After all, we wouldn't want to get mud all over the bed now, would we?" Hope asked as she undid Aiden's tie in the bedroom.

Aiden licked his lips. "No, we would not. I'm going to need you to help me." He brushed his lips against her ear. "You know, just to make sure the mud is off everywhere. Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

"That can be arranged," Hope replied as she unbuttoned his shirt. She kissed all the way down his neck to his chest, then let the shirt slide off of Aiden's body, and down to the floor.

"Of course, you're going to have to take that dress off too. If it gets wet, it will be completely unsalvageable," Aiden quipped.

Hope turned around, and looked over her shoulder. "Do you mind?"

Aiden pushed her hair over her shoulder and kissed the now exposed side of her neck. "Not at all." He slowly unzipped her zipper, then gently pushed the sleeves of her dress down off her shoulders.

Hope did the rest of the work, slipping out of her dress. She then kicked off her heels and peeled off her stockings before turning around to face him.

Aiden moaned when he saw the matching red lace bra and underwear set.

Hope smirked, an eyebrow raised. "Do you like?"

"Oh, I love…" Aiden said, undoing his belt buckle.

"You're too slow," Hope said, quickly moving to finish the job of getting Aiden's pants off.

Aiden picked her up and carried her to the bed. The shower could wait. Hope, on the other hand could not. No. He needed her right there, and right now.

They lie in each other's arms, post lovemaking, Hope resting her head on Aiden's chest.

"We really should have showered first. Now there's mud all over the bed," Hope said.

Aiden shrugged. "I'll just wash everything. No big deal. I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait another minute to consummate our engagement."

Hope kissed his chest. "You never have to apologize for that! But really, it's getting late. We really should shower now. Maybe I can wear one of your shirts home?"

"I don't know. Seeing you in one of my shirts might persuade me to never let you out of my bed," Aiden teased.

Hope grinned. "I could live with that," she teased back.

They kissed.

Aiden moaned, and ran his hands down her body.

Hope moaned as well. "If we're doing this again, it has to be in the shower. We won't have time otherwise."

Aiden sighed. "All right, all right. But the next time we both have off during the day, we're making this an all-day affair." He climbed out of bed.

"Heck, we can get someone to watch the kids and make it an all-night affair too while we're at it." Hope teased.

Aiden walked over to her and picked her up.

Hope squealed in delight.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Aiden told her.

Hope smiled, then kissed him. "Now comes the task of telling the kids about our engagement."

"Do we have to tell Ciara?" Aiden asked. "She scares me."

Hope rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop. Ciara loves you. She'll be thrilled."

"For my bank account maybe," Aiden mumbled.

"Hm?" Hope asked.

"Nothing. Let's get in that shower so that I can get in _you_," Aiden said to her, wriggling his eyebrows up and down.

Hope gasped. "You're so bad!"

"And you love it," Aiden said.

"Mm, you know it," Hope replied.

They kissed yet again, then headed in to finally take that shower.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3:**_

"I'm really nervous," Aiden said as he and Hope waited outside of the school to pick their children up.

Hope turned to him and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "Don't be. Ciara has definitely warmed to you since first meeting you. She wants me to be happy, and she knows that you make me happy."

"I hope so," Aiden said, picturing many different Ciara reactions in his head—none of them pleasant.

"I'm nervous too, you know. Chase hasn't had a mother in a long time. He could think you're trying to replace his mother with me." Hope sighed. "Gosh, now _I'm_ nervous."

Aiden shook his head. This time, he stroked Hope's hair. "Chase adores you. Heck, Ciara is his best friend. He's going to be thrilled that she is going to be his sister now. Well, mostly thrilled anyway. Let's face it, your daughter's kind of scary sometimes."

Hope smirked, and playfully smacked his chest. "Oh, stop! Sure she can be a little…overbearing at times, but she gets that from her dad."

"Oh, and of course, she gets none of it from you," Aiden teased.

Hope gasped. "Let's not forget that you were the one acting like a jackass when we first met. I tried to be nice, but you would have none of it."

"Well you were the one badmouthing me to Kayla, and I'm sure many others, behind my back," Aiden shot back in a playful manner.

"Only because you were acting like such a jerk!" Hope shot back. She then smiled, and slowly ran her hands up his chest. "And because I couldn't let her fall in love with you when you so clearly belonged with me."

Aiden placed his hands over Hope's waist and looked lovingly in her eyes. "Hope, there was not a chance in hell that I would have fallen for Kayla, or Jennifer, or anyone else you tried to pair me with…or turn off of from me."

Hope draped her arms over his shoulders and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Because I was already head-over-heels, madly in love with you," Aiden said simply.

Hope smiled. "Well that works out perfectly because I'm head-over-heels, madly in love with you."

They kissed.

"Ew, they're at it again!" Chase wined.

"Come on, guys, stop! You're embarrassing us," Ciara scolded.

Hope and Aiden stopped kissing and smiled at their children, but didn't break their hold.

"Well, if you think _that_ was embarrassing, wait until you see this!" he said, bending Hope backwards and kissing her passionately.

"Ew!" Chase and Ciara complained, looking at each other.

Hope grinned as Aiden lifted her back up. "And this is only the beginning of the things we do that embarrass them."

"Why can't they stay sweet forever?" Aiden asked.

"Oh to dream," Hope said.

They broke apart.

"Come on. We're going to the pub for dinner," Hope said to Ciara.

"All of us?" Chase asked.

Aiden nodded. "Yes, all of us."

"What's the special occasion?" Ciara asked.

"What makes you think there's a special occasion?" Hope asked.

"Well, we're usually forced to eat at home and choke down your cooking," Ciara stated.

Aiden burst into laughter, as did Chase.

"Oh, come on! My cooking's not _that_ bad, is it?" Hope asked.

"No. It's just…never going to be restaurant worthy," Aiden tried.

"Or human consumption worthy," Chase joked.

This time, Ciara joined Aiden and Chase in their laughter.

Hope crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm so glad you appreciate my working hard to cook for you," she said sarcastically.

"Oh, relax, Mom. We can't all be good at everything. You're much better at baking than you are at cooking," Ciara told her, a hand over her arm.

Chase nodded. "Yeah, and I know a lot of people who absolutely suck at baking. One time, before we came to Salem, Mrs. Thomas, my teacher brought in cinnamon rolls she baked. The whole class got diarrhea after eating them."

"Not exactly a nice thing to talk about before dinner," Aiden stated.

"Whatever. Let's just go eat! I'm starved," Ciara said.

Chase nodded. "Me too."

They ran off ahead to the car.

Aiden lagged behind with Hope, and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't worry," he told her. "You're good at the important stuff like being a mother, and…" He kissed the side of her neck. "Other things."

Hope smiled at him. "What kind of other things?"

"Things not suitable for our children to hear about," Aiden responded. He kissed her cheek. "But I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to discuss those things later, now that we're going to be married," he murmured in her ear.

Hope licked her lips. "I'll be looking forward to it."

They kissed.

"Ugh, come on already!" Ciara called out.

Hope and Aiden broke the kiss and grinned, then quickly hurried to catch up with their kids.

"So, you never answered my question," Ciara said as they ate their dinner. "What's the occasion?"

"Does it have something to do with that new ring?" Chase asked, pointing to the shiny pink and white diamonds on Hope's left ring finger.

Hope and Aiden looked at each other.

Ciara suddenly put her cheeseburger back down on her plate. "Oh gosh. He asked you to marry him, didn't he?"

Hope looked at her and slowly nodded. "Just last night."

"Wow, congratulations!" Chase said, a happy smile on his face.

"So, you're okay with it?" Aiden asked him.

Chase nodded. "Sure. Why not? I'm just glad to see you so happy. Anyway, Hope's a nice woman, and she makes you happy. That's all that really matters to me."

Hope smiled at Chase. "Thank you, Chase. I promise I will never try to replace your mother. I love your dad very much, and I love you very much as well."

Chase smiled.

Aiden nodded at Ciara. "What about you?" He raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to be okay with this?"

Ciara shrugged. "It's not exactly like I have a choice now, is it?"

Hope sighed. "No, but I'd like you to be happy with my decision."

"I'm never going to replace your dad, nor would I ever try to. I get it. You and I are friends now, right?" Aiden asked Ciara.

Ciara shrugged, her arms crossed over her chest. "I guess."

"I promise to love your mother so much, and I will love you too. I will make your mother happy, I promise," Aiden said softly.

Ciara looked at him, her expression softening a bit. "You already do. I know you do. But I'm always going to miss my dad."

"I know that, and that it totally normal and understandable. Look, like I said, I'm not trying to replace him. Your mother and I love each other, and we just want to be there to love each other and make each other happy. We also want to try to fill a little bit of the void in each other's hearts," Aiden explained, his tone soft.

"And the same goes for you guys. We promise to both always be here to love you guys and take care of you. We will be there for you whenever you need us. Nothing has changed other than we'll all be officially a family now," Hope chimed in.

Ciara eyed Aiden up. "Promise me you'll never abandon us like my dad did?"

Aiden crossed his heart. "I'd have to die to ever abandon you."

Ciara shot him a warning look. "If you ever hurt my mother, that might just happen."

Hope gasped. "Ciara Alice Brady, do not go making death threats!"

Ciara shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Aiden laughed. "No, it's okay." He grinned at Ciara. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you." He winked at her.

Ciara grinned, and held out her hand. "Welcome to the family, then. But don't ever expect me to call you Dad."

Aiden shook her hand. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Mm, how lucky was it for us to bump into Miranda at the pub?" Hope asked, her arms draped over Aiden's shoulders as they stood in front of her home.

Aiden grinned at her. "And it was even luckier that she and her son were going to see the new Disney movie, which Ciara and Chase had been dying to see."

"And even luckier yet that Miranda and her son invited them to go along, and agreed to drop them back here after the movie," Hope said. She kissed the side of his neck. "Disney movies are usually an hour and a half, right?"

Aiden closed his eyes. "Mm hm."

"It should give us plenty of time to do some very un-Disney like activities," Hope said with a grin.

Aiden grinned as well. "Oh? And what might those activities include? Hm?" He kissed the side of her neck, trailing his kisses up to her jawline.

"Mm, I've always been better at showing than at telling," Hope replied.

"I think I can show you a thing or two myself!" Aiden said.

Hope laughed. "Oh, really?"

Aiden grinned and pulled her closer by the waist. "Really."

They kissed softly on the lips for a moment, then Hope opened the door. They stepped into the house and she shut the door, then Aiden picked her up.

"You don't waste any time. Do you, Mr. Jennings?" she asked.

Aiden shook his head. "Nope! After all, we only have an hour and a half."

Hoped grinned, and they kissed all the way up the stairs and to the bedroom.

"I love you so much," Aiden said as he made love to Hope.

Hope closed her eyes. "I love you too. So much…" She moaned as Aiden continued to make love to her. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

He kissed her passionately and pulled her closer to him. He wanted to make her feel all the love he hand inside for her.

Hope threw her head back and closed her eyes. "Aiden, yes…"

"I love you Hope," Aiden said again.

Before Hope could reply, they heard a different voice. It was a voice that Aiden had never heard before, but one that Hope knew all too well, though she hadn't heard it in years.

"What the heck?!" came the loud booming voice in the doorway.

Aiden and Hope both jumped, and Hope looked over Aiden's shoulder. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Bo!" she gasped.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4:**_

Bo walked away and headed downstairs.

Aiden reluctantly rolled over onto his back. "He hasn't come back in over two years. _Now_ he decides to finally come back?"

Hope sighed. "Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are."

Aiden climbed out of bed and began to dress. "Well this is going to be awkward. I'd leave, but I have to wait for Chase. Maybe I can meet him at the theater."

Again, Hope sighed. "I'm so sorry, Aiden. I have to talk to Bo. I don't even know where to begin right now. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Aiden nodded. "Totally understandable. Bo's return is out of nowhere. I can imagine how in shock you must be."

"Very," Hope confirmed. She got out of bed, and slipped her clothes on as well.

Once they were both fairly presentable, Aiden walked over to Hope and kissed her softly on the lips. "I hope this won't change anything between us. If I were to lose you now, I… I don't think I could bear it!"

Hope smiled at him, and gently stroked his hair. "Bo had his chance, and he lost it. _You're_ the love of my life now. Trust me, nothing's going to change between us."

Aiden smiled, and they kissed again.

Aiden then broke the kiss and sighed. "This isn't going to be fun for either of us."

"Tell me about it," Hope said, a look of worry on her face.

They headed down the stairs and found Bo sitting on the couch.

"I'll drop Ciara back home," Aiden said to Hope.

Hope nodded. "Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

Aiden then left.

Bo was still sitting on the couch. He hadn't said a word since catching his once wife in bed with another man.

Hope slowly walked around the couch, then sat down beside him. "Long time no see," she said coldly. "So nice of you to finally come back to see me. It's too bad your timing's so incredibly off."

Bo glanced at her. "You must not have missed me too much if you're already in bed with another man. Is he the reason you asked for the divorce?"

Hope's eyes narrowed at him. "It's been over two years, Bo! Are you kidding me right now? What? Did you expect me to wait around for you forever?"

Bo shrugged. "I thought you were so in love with me that you would wait forever. After all, isn't that part of true love?"

Hope crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "You have an odd definition of true love, Bo. True love isn't abandoning your wife and child for over two years, not letting us know if you were alive or dead!"

"I had to stay out of contact for yours and Ciara's own safety!" Bo insisted.

Hope shook her head. "No, you didn't have to do anything, Bo. You could have just left things be with the Dimeras, but no. You just had to play the hero, and go try to take them down. You chose trying to take the Dimeras down over your own family.

"Salem would be a better place for you and Ciara if the Dimeras were locked away," Bo tried.

Hope shook her head. "No. Salem was not a better place for Ciara or me without her father and my husband! We needed you, Bo! And what if Heaven forbid, Ciara and I were in danger? Then what, huh? Could you protect us from wherever the hell it is you were? I don't think so!"

"I didn't get the note about the divorce until recently. I came back as soon as I could, to win you back, but I see you've already moved on anyway!" Bo said, getting up from the couch.

Hope got up as well. "Can you blame me? I didn't know if you were alive, or dead, or ever coming back! The Dimeras are still walking around free, so what did you leave for, Bo? Huh? You left Ciara and me for nothing! I finally found love with Aiden. He is a good man, and he is amazing with Ciara. He even has a son around Ciara's age. Chase. The two of them have become the best of friends."

Bo suddenly caught sight of the ring on Hope's finger. He grabbed her left hand and looked at it. "What's this?"

"It's an engagement ring. Aiden asked me to marry him last night, and I accepted," Hope replied.

"Well, you're going to have to tell him you changed your mind because your husband's back in town!" Bo said defiantly.

Hope shook her head. "I don't think so. You're not my husband anymore, Bo. I'm in love with Aiden now. He is a good man, and he would never desert me or Ciara. You had your chance and you blew it! My heart is with Aiden now."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that!" Bo said.

"You don't have a say in the matter. I'm marrying Aiden, end of story," Hope said coldly.

Just then, the door opened, and in walked Ciara. She gasped. "Daddy! You're back!"

"Ciara!" Bo cried out, bending down, his arms opened wide.

Ciara ran over to Bo and he picked her up. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Ciara. You have no idea how much!" Bo said, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

Hope closed the door that Ciara had forgotten to close in her excitement. She looked at Bo, who was hugging Ciara now. He shot Hope a look as if to say, "This isn't over." Hope shot him a look back as if to say, "Yes, it is." She would always love Bo, but she could never forgive him for abandoning her and Ciara when they needed him the most. Besides, she had fallen hard for Aiden, and there was no getting her heart back from him.

"Why did you leave us?" Ciara asked Bo as they sat together on the couch, talking.

"I had police business. I was trying to take down the bad guys," Bo replied.

"You mean Stephano?" Ciara asked.

Bo nodded. "Yes."

"Well, Stephano is gone. He's not a threat to us. Why did it take you two years to come back?" Ciara asked. Did you even accomplish anything when you were gone?"

Hope smiled despite the situation. She was furious with Bo, and none of this was sitting right with her. Even so, she was proud of her daughter for not just welcoming Bo back with open arms. Ciara was wise beyond her years. Hope knew Ciara's namesake would be proud.

"You're too young to understand," Bo told her gently.

Ciara looked at Hope. "Well, Mom isn't, and _she_ doesn't understand."

Hope crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at Bo, waiting for his response.

Bo hesitated. "Look, isn't the fact that I'm here now enough?"

"You abandoned us, Dad. Do you have any idea how that feels to feel like your dad doesn't love you anymore? It sucks. It doesn't feel nice," Ciara chastised. "I'm glad you're finally back, but things have changed since before you've left. She's getting married to Aiden, and Aiden is so cool. He really makes her happy, Dad."

"I'm sorry I ever made you feel like I don't love you anymore," Bo said, stroking Ciara's hair. "You gotta know that it's not possible for me to ever stop loving you. Why don't you go on up to bed now, okay? It's getting late, and it's a school night," Bo suggested to her.

Ciara raised an eyebrow. "Will you be here when I wake up, or will you be gone again?"

"I'll be here. In fact, I'll come up and tuck you in when you're ready," Bo promised.

Ciara smiled. "All right." She hugged her father. "I really did miss you."

"I missed you too, Sweetheart. More than you know," Bo said.

Ciara then ran up the stairs to get ready for bed.

Hope looked at him. "You can sleep in the guest bedroom. You're not sleeping in my bed."

"So now it's your bed?" Bo asked.

Hope glared at him. "Since you abandoned me, yes, it is."

"I came back!" Bo reminded her.

"Too little too late! Goodnight, Bo," Hope said, heading up the stairs without waiting for a response from Bo.

She went to check in on her daughter. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm mad at Dad for leaving us, but at the same time, I'm really glad to have him back. I really missed him, and I never thought I'd see him again," Ciara said. "Is that bad?"

Hope stroked her daughter's hair, then kissed the top of her head. "No, my Darling. It's normal."

"Are you going to go back to Dad now that he's back?" Ciara asked.

Hope shook her head. "No. I'm with Aiden now. I love, him Ciara. I know you probably want me back with your father, but—"

Ciara cut her off. "What I want is for you to be happy, and right now, Aiden makes you happier than Dad does."

Hope sighed. "You're growing up so fast."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Ciara asked.

Hope winked at her daughter and smiled. "A little bit of both." She mussed her daughter's hair, then headed for the door. "Goodnight, my Darling."

"Goodnight, Mom. I love you," Ciara said.

Hope smiled at her. "I love you too."

"Hey, it's me," Hope said as she lie in bed. He had just called Aiden to bid him goodnight.

"Hey, Beautiful. How did it go?" Aiden asked.

Hope sighed. "It went as well as it could go, I guess. Ciara doesn't know whether to be angry with her father, or glad that he is back."

"And you?"

"I'm a little bit of both. I'm so angry with him right now, I want to throttle him."

Aiden sounded amused. "If you do, I'll be more than happy to represent you—Pro bono of course."

Hope smirked. "Cute." She continued. "At the same time, it's good to see him again, and good to have the father of my child back."

Aiden was quiet for a moment. "Have you changed your mind about us?"

Hope shook her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her do so. "What? No, Aiden. I don't care if Bo is back. As far as he and I go as a couple, that is in the past, and that is where it will stay. I told you, you're the love of my life now. Heck, even with him in the house, I still feel the need to finish what you and I started."

Aiden laughed. "I don't think Bo would appreciate that very much! Can you imagine? I come back over. "Hello, I'm here to finish what I started with your wife."

Hope half smiled. "Ex-wife."

"I like the sound of that," Aiden said. "Let's keep it that way."

"Well, soon you'll be referring to me as your wife," Hope reminded him.

"My wife. Hope Jennings. I love the sound of that even more!" Aiden said, his tone cheery.

Hope grinned, and looked at her ring. "Hope Jennings. It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Why yes it does, Hope Jennings!" Aiden said.

Hope smiled even wider. "You do realize I'm going to have a horribly long name now. "Hope William's Brady Jennings."

"Or, Hope Williams Brady Williams Jennings," Aiden joked. "Since you went back to Williams in between."

"Or, I could just drop the Brady all together. "Hope Williams Jennings," Hope suggested.

"Now you're talking!" Aiden said, enthusiasm in his voice. "Or, it can simply be Hope Jennings. As long as the world knows your mine, I'm happy though."

"Trust me. Once we're married, the world will know I'm yours. I'll leave no doubt in their minds!" Hope assured him.

"And there will certainly be no doubt that I'm yours," Aiden told her. "I love you so much, and I am going to spend every day for the rest of my life, showing you how much I love you."

Hope felt her heart melt. "I think I just fell even more in love with you than I already was. I didn't think that was possible."

"Likewise, my Love. Well, I'll let you get some sleep. I know it's late, and the kids have school tomorrow," Aiden replied.

"Wanna get breakfast together at the pub tomorrow after we drop the kids at school?" Hope asked.

"Like I'd ever turn down a chance to see you again," Aiden told her.

Hope smiled. Aiden always knew how to make her smile. "Until tomorrow then. "Think of me while you dream."

"I always do. Goodnight, my Love."

"Goodnight, Aiden. I love you."

"I love you too Hope. More than you can imagine."

They hung up the phone, and Hope smiled again. She couldn't stop smiling whenever Aiden was involved. She then clicked off the light, and laid down on her side. Next, she closed her eyes, and waited for dreams of Aiden to hit her.

Meanwhile, Bo had been listening on the other side of the door on the way to go tuck Ciara in. If Aiden thought he had won, he was wrong. Things were far from over. Hope would never become Aiden's wife. Bo would see to that.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5:**_

The next morning, after dropping the kids off, Hope and Aiden headed to the Town Square for lunch.

Aiden held the chair out for Hope, who kissed his cheek then sat down. "Such a gentleman!" she gushed.

Aiden smiled at her, and kissed her cheek in return before taking his own seat across from her. "My lady deserves nothing less."

Hope smiled and blushed.

"You're so cute when you blush," Aiden said to her, his dimples showing as he grinned.

Hope blushed even more. "Stop, you're embarrassing me!" she said, the smile still on her face.

Aiden shrugged. "I can't help it. I love everything about you, Hope."

Hope reached across the table and took his hands in hers. "I love everything about you too."

They hostess came then, and they gave her their drink orders before looking over their menus.

They made their selections, and when the waitress came back with their drinks, they ordered their food.

Once they were alone again, Aiden took Hope's hands in his own. "So, I was thinking we should start planning out wedding. I don't want a long, drawn out engagement."

Hope shook her head. "I don't either. "How about a nice fall wedding? That way, we'll have six months to plan it."

"I was thinking more of a mid-summer. You've been married before, I've been married before… Do we really need a big wedding?" Aiden asked.

Hope shook her head. "No, I suppose not." She raised an eyebrow. "But why are you in such a rush? Is it because Bo is back in town and you want to make sure I don't change my mind? Because if it is, I assure you, Aiden, I'm not about to change my mind. Like I told Bo, he had his chance and blew it. I want to be _your_ wife now—not his."

Aiden looked into her eyes and gently squeezed her hands. "Hope, I want to marry you sooner rather than later because I am madly in love with you. I don't see the point in drawing it out any longer than it has to. Bo has nothing to do with it. I promise you."

"If you're sure," Hope said, still unsure if she believed him.

Aiden nodded. "Hope, I'm sure. I just want to marry you because, like I said, I love you. I want to make it forever as soon as possible. I never want to live without you."

Hope kissed his hands. "How about a July wedding? Sometime after the 4th?"

Aiden relaxed. "That sounds perfect. I was thinking we could get married on the beach."

"Instead of a church?" Hope asked.

Aiden shrugged. "Like I said, we've both been married before, so I figured we wouldn't have to do the whole church thing. But if you'd rather get married in a church, then we can certainly get married in a church. All I care about is marrying you."

"Won't the whole beach thing remind you of Meredith since she died in your beach house?" Hope looked away, and released Aiden's hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories again."

"No, it's okay! Hope, you helped make new memories on the beach with me." He lowered his voice. "When you helped me cover up the fact that my son accidentally shot and killed his own mother when he wasn't even old enough to remember it… As horrible as the situation was, it showed me how much you truly love me, and care about Chase."

Hope nodded. "Of course I love you, Aiden. I'd do anything for you. That's why I didn't even hesitate to help re-hide his bloody clothes behind that wall. I love you more than I can bear sometimes, and as for Chase, I love him as if he were my own."

"So you see why I want to get married on the beach?" Aiden asked, taking her hands in his again. "It can signify a new beginning for us all."

Hope smiled at him. "The kids do love the beach, and we both do…"

"So, is that a yes?" Aiden asked, his dimples showing again.

Hope nodded. "Yes! We'll get married on the beach. At least we won't have to worry about it being all booked up."

"Exactly!" Aiden kissed her hands. "Now, all we have to do is pick a date, and I can call and make the necessary arrangements to set it up."

"How about the last Saturday in July?" Hope asked, scrolling through her phone. She looked up at Aiden. "The twenty-fifth?"

Aiden smiled so big his face hurt. "The twenty-fifth it is!" He kissed her hands again. "I can hardly wait to make you my wife."

"I can hardly wait to _be_ your wife," Hope said, batting her long eyelashes at him.

The waitress arrived with their food then, and they soon dug in.

Meanwhile, someone watched them from the shadows, having heard every word they had been speaking. That someone walked away. They had gotten what they needed.

"I can hardly wait to see you in your wedding dress," Aiden said as he kissed Hope, who lie in his arms after they had made love at his place. "And then out of it."

She smiled. "I kind of feel cheated. I already know what you look like in a suit."

"I'll mix it up a little and surprise you," he teased.

She laughed. "All right. Just nothing too crazy, all right? We may not be going all out for this wedding, but I would still like it to be a beautiful, classy wedding. No swim shorts!"

Aiden snapped his fingers. "Darn it!" He then gently stroked her hair, and turned serious. "As long as you're the bride, it _will_ be beautiful and classy," Aiden replied.

They kissed for a few moments.

"So," Aiden asked, breaking a kiss, "Should I ask Bo to be my best man, or should we just reserve a seat for him in the front?"

Hope laughed, and playfully pushed him. "Don't even joke like that."

"Heck, maybe he can even go on the internet and get ordained so that he can marry us!" Aiden continued to joke.

"Aiden, I mean it, stop! It's not funny." But the smile Hope was trying to hide behind her hand betrayed her.

"Then why are you smiling?" Aiden asked.

Hope dropped her hand. "Because maybe it was just a little funny."

"Just a little?" Aiden asked, starting to kiss up her neck.

"Just a little," Hope confirmed.

Soo, they were kissing again, which ultimately led to them making love again. However, soon it was time for them to pick up the kids from school, so they had to get out of bed and dressed.

"If it were up to me, we'd be staying in bed all day," Aiden said as they dressed.

Hope groaned. "Don't tempt me."

Aiden grinned, and walked over to her. "But tempting you is what I do best," he murmured, pulling her in for a passionate kiss. He started unbuttoning her blouse.

Hope moaned. "Aiden, we're going to be late…"

"It won't kill either of them to wait a few minutes," Aiden said. He had gotten her blouse unbuttoned, and he slipped the blouse off her shoulders, and let it drop to the floor.

"We really shouldn't be doing this again," Hope murmured as Aiden kissed down her neck, his fingers working at her bra clasp.

"Do you want me to stop?" Aiden asked.

Hope sat down on the bed. "No."

Aiden smiled, then climbed into the bed beside her, and laid her down beneath him. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"Shut up and kiss me," Hope said, pulling him in for a kiss.

Later that night, after Chase was in bed, Aiden heard a knock on his door. Thinking it was Hope there to surprise him, he smiled, and headed over to the door. He opened it without asking who it was.

"Hello, Beautiful," he said as he opened the door. Then he stopped short when he saw it wasn't Hope, but rather Bo.

Sorry to disappoint there, Aiden, but it's not Hope, as you can see," Bo said coolly.

"Hello, Bo," Aiden said calmly. "What can I do for you?"

"You could tell my wife it's over, and let her and I work through our marriage. But something tells me you're not going to do that," Bo said smartly.

"That would be correct," Aiden replied.

Bo walked into the house without waiting to be offered.

"Sure, come right on in," Aiden said sarcastically. He shut the door behind Bo.

"Where's the kid?" Bo asked.

"His name is Chase, and he's upstairs sleeping. What is this about, Bo?" Aiden asked. Bo could beg him to leave Hope alone until he was blue in the face. He was not going to give in.

Bo turned to face him. "Here's the deal. You're going to tell Hope that you've had a change of heart and that you no longer want to marry her. Then, you're going to leave town, and never contact my wife again."

"That's never going to happen. You had your chance with her, and you abandoned her and your daughter. She's no longer your wife now, Bo, but she's going to be mine," Aiden said coldly.

Bo shook his head. "You see, that's where you're wrong, Aiden. I never signed those divorce papers, so legally, Hope is still my wife. And as long as I can help it, she will _never_ be your wife."

"I'm sorry, but nowadays, both spouses do not have to sign the divorce papers. I also happen to be a lawyer—I'm not sure if Hope told you that or not. You really don't have much say I whether you two divorce or not. Make no mistake Bo, you _will_ be divorced." Aiden smiled at him smugly. Bo had chosen the wrong person to mess with!

Bo sighed, and clicked his tongue. "Aiden, Aiden, Aiden! You should know, being in your profession and all, to never go up against a cop. You _will_ lose going up against one. I don't know if Hope told you or not, but _I_ am a cop."

Aiden crossed his arms over his chest. "And just how do you expect me to lose? Hm?"

Bo smiled. "Well, Aiden, I'm glad you asked that. You see, I happened to be in the Town Square today, and I overheard a little something interesting."

Aiden tried to play it cool even though his pulse was raising and his stomach was in knots. "I don't know what you thought you heard."

"What I heard, Aiden, was that your son accidentally killed his mother, and you have been covering it up all these years," Bo said coldly.

Aiden glanced up the stairs. "Keep your voice down!" He whispered. "My son is sleeping, and he doesn't need you waking him up. He has school early tomorrow. Anyway, what you're saying is crazy!"

"I know what I heard, Aiden. You even dragged my wife into it and had her help you cover it up," Bo snapped.

"You have no proof," Aiden said coldly.

"Do I really need it though, Aiden? All I have to do is mention it to your son, and he will always wonder. Heck, all I have to do is get a warrant and head on over to the beach house. I believe it was in the wall, Hope said you hid the items?" Bo asked smugly.

"You son of a bitch!" Aiden snapped. "What about Hope? Hm? She'll never forgive you if you tell. Plus, she was an accomplice."

"I'll leave her out of it. You'll be in jail for covering up a murder, leaving your son all alone. I'm never going to tell anyone that Hope was in on it, and neither would you. Hope wouldn't admit to it for our daughter's sake. Eventually, she'll see what I did was in her best interest, and she'll come back to me," Bo replied.

"You're delusional!" Aiden spat.

Bo shook his head. "No, I'm a very smart man. If you are too, you'll break it off with Hope, leave town, and never come back. Otherwise, don't be surprised if the police come knocking at your door and your son finds out what you've been hiding from him all these years."

"You'd really do that to him? My gosh, Bo! He's just a child!" Aiden snapped.

Bo shrugged. "Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to protect your family. But then again, you know all about that, don't you?"

"Get out of my house. Now!" Aiden snapped.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Bo said, heading for the doorway. He paused in the doorway, and turned to face Aiden. "Just remember what I said. And do it soon, or _else_." He then left, leaving his words hanging in the air.

Aiden cursed, and slammed his hand down hard on the desk. As much as he loved Hope, and boy did he love Hope, he had no choice. His son always had to come first. As much as it pained him, he had to leave Salem. He had to break Hope's heart.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6:**_

"So, what shall we do today?" Hope asked, taking Aiden's hand in her own once they had dropped the kids off to school.

Aiden swallowed hard. He hadn't slept a bit the night before. He kept imagining Hope's face as he broke it off with her. He didn't want to do this. He had never loved a woman as much as he had loved Hope. It wasn't fair that he should have to let her go just because some jerk was blackmailing him into it. "I was thinking we could go back to my place. I wanna talk to you about something."

Hope squeezed his hand. "All right. Is this about the wedding?"

"You could say that," Aiden replied, feeing the bile build up in his stomach.

"Can you talk to me here?" Hope asked.

Aiden shook his head. "It would be best if we talked at my place."

"All right," Hope said. "Is everything all right?"

"We'll talk when we get to my place! Please," Aiden said, a little irritated.

"All right," Hope said, growing quiet.

Aiden hated himself for snapping at her. He wasn't irritated with her. He was irritated with Bo. He never hated anyone before in his life, but he sure hated that sorry excuse for a man. What kind of man threatened a child? True, Bo wasn't threatening Chase directly, but he might as well have been.

The ride to Aiden's place was a quiet one. Aiden didn't want to talk for fear of breaking down. He could sense Hope was a little angry with him for snapping at her.

When they got to his place, he allowed her in first, then he walked in behind her and locked the door after he shut it. He wasn't about to let anyone interrupt them.

"So, tell me what's going on. No more waiting," Hope ordered.

Aiden sighed, and sat down on the couch. "Sit, please."

Hope sat down beside him. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I decided I can't marry you. It's just too much, with Bo coming back and all." Aiden knew she wouldn't just accept that, but it was worth a shot, he figured.

Hope scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "What does Bo have to do with anything? I told you, Aiden, I am over him. He will exist in my life to be a part of our daughter's life, but that is as far as it goes. My feelings for him are completely gone now."

"You can't tell me your feelings for him just went away," Aiden said. A part of him really did believe she could still have feelings for Bo. That is what made this whole situation hurt even worse.

"They didn't just go away, Aiden. They were there for a long time after he deserted Ciara and I. But then I met you, and slowly those feelings for Bo slowly started to evaporate until there was nothing left!" Hope gently stroked Aiden's cheek with the back of her hand. "Trust me, Aiden, you're all I want and all I need besides our children. I don't want Bo anymore, and I especially don't need him."

Aiden felt his heart constricting. He was being torn apart inside. He had to go in for the kill. If he was ever going to get Hope to accept that it was over, he was going to have to make up a drastic lie. It would break her heart, but she would heal. She would. _He_ never would, but she would. "There's something else," he said quietly.

Hope took his hands in her own. "What?"

He couldn't meet her eyes. "I cheated on you."

"What?" Hope asked.

Aiden couldn't read her tone. He didn't dare to look at her. "I was so worried when Bo came back. He paid a visit to my house last night and he told me that you two were talking things over, and that you two were going to work on your marriage. He said that you were trying to think of an easy and gentle way to tell me. I was so upset I went out drinking, and I saw a beautiful woman at the bar…" He was getting in deep now, and he knew it. But what was that old saying? Go big or go home.

"You don't drink," Hope said quietly.

"Yeah, well, I do when I'm that upset. Anyway, she came on to me, and asked if I was single. I told her I was about to be. She told me that if _she_ were with me, she would never let me go. I was vulnerable, and in need of feeling loved, so we went back to her place. The babysitter was home with Chase."

"I don't believe you. You wouldn't do that to me," Hope said calmly. Though, Aiden could detect a twinge of worry in her voice.

He looked at her. "But I did. And the truth is, I liked being with her. She's funny, and beautiful… We just really seemed to hit it off. Plus, she doesn't have any ex-husband baggage."

Hope narrowed her eyes at him. "You wouldn't, Aiden! You're lying to me. You wouldn't suddenly change your mind about us!"

"Well, if you're going to be a bitch and go back to Bo, then of course I would do that! I did! What? Do you think I'm supposed to just sit around while you go back to Bo and not try to move on myself?" he snapped.

"I can't believe you just called me that," Hope said. "And you should know I would never go back to Bo after all that you and I have been through. Even if I _was_ going to go back to him, I would tell you first! But I am not!"

"Yeah, well, you would probably go back to him eventually. Melinda, the woman I slept with, is amazing. It made me realize that, if I could feel this connected to a woman after just meeting her, then maybe it wasn't really love I had with you after all. Go back to your cop husband, Hope. You two are a better match." Aiden wanted to throw up, saying those words to Hope.

"Aiden, you're lying. You have to be," Hope said, her voice shaky.

Aiden shook his head. "My gosh, Woman! What is your problem? I'm trying to let you down gently, but you just don't seem to get it! What are you, stupid? I don't want you anymore. I'm bored with you, and frankly, the thought of being tied down to one woman again—especially another nag like Meredith—is enough to make me want to shoot myself! Anyway, Melinda is so much more beautiful than you are. And as for in the sack, well, you have nothing on her, believe me!"

"Why are you being like this?" Hope asked, the tears falling from her eyes.

Aiden shrugged, channeling the way he had acted toward her when he had first come to Salem. "This is just the way I've always been, Hope. Don't blame me if you were dumb enough to actually think I was ever truly in love with you."

Aiden winced as Hope slapped him across the face.

"I hate you!" she spat. "I hate you for making me fall so deeply in love with you, then ripping out my heart, and stomping it into a million pieces!" She burst into tears then, and turned to leave.

Something inside of Aiden snapped then. He couldn't do this! He couldn't break Hope's heart like that! No. We would _not_ let Bo win. He'd think of something to stop Bo from telling on Chase. He just couldn't break Hope's heart. He'd rather die.

He quickly reached out and grabbed Hope's arm, pulling her back to him.

"Let go of me!" Hope snapped.

"I'm sorry!" I didn't mean it! I didn't mean any of it! It was all lies!" Aiden cried out.

Hope stopped fighting him. "Then why did you say all those horrible things? Hm?"

"Because I needed you to believe that I wasn't in love with you anymore," Aiden confessed.

Hope raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because Bo would have—" He cut himself off. Bo had texted him a little while after he had left last night. His message was threatening.

_Another thing I forgot to mention… Mention any of this to Hope, and I go straight to the police. –Bo_

"Bo would have what, Aiden?" Hope asked. "Won me back? No, he would not have. You should know better than that! My gosh, Aiden! Do you not have any faith in yours and my love at all?"

Aiden slowly shook his head. "No. It's not that. It's…."

"Aiden, tell me right this instant, or I walk out that door never to speak to you again," Hope warned.

Aiden sighed. He supposed Hope deserved to know the truth after the horrible things he had just said to her. "Bo did come over to my house last night, but it wasn't to tell me you two were getting back together."

"Then why did he?" Hope asked. "I'm not understanding this."

Aiden looked her in the eyes. "He overheard us at the square yesterday morning. He heard us talking about what Chase did and about how we covered it up. He threatened to go to the cops about what Chase did, and about me covering it up. He said he'd leave you out of it, but I'd probably go to jail for covering it up, and Chase would know he shot and killed his own mother."

Hope covered her mouth with her hand, then removed it. "He wouldn't do that."

Aiden shook his head. "Sorry to tell you, but he did. Why else would I ever even think about leaving you? He told me that I had to break it off with you, and let him try to get you back. I also had to leave town. Otherwise, to the police he'd go. He said that he could get the proof in the beach house wall, and Chase would be left all alone with me off to prison."

"I still can't believe Bo would do that. Chase is just a child!" Hope said.

Aiden shrugged. "He is willing to do anything to get you to come back to him."

"Why didn't you just tell me this to begin with?" Hope asked gently, a hand over his arm.

"He warned me not to tell you. Look!" Aiden took out his phone and brought up the text. He then showed it to Hope.

Hope covered her mouth again. "I'm going to kill him. That son of a bitch, he's dead!"

Aiden pulled her closer. "Don't do anything that's going to get you in trouble."

Hope narrowed her eyes. "The only one that's in trouble is Bo." She took Aiden's face between her hands. "Don't you ever do something to stupid again like letting him blackmail you! You and I are a team now, and if we're going to be married, there has to be no secrets between us. I know you were just trying to protect Chase, but remember, I'm a cop too. Bo's not the only cop. What was it I told you at the beach house?"

"We're in this together," Aiden recalled.

Hope nodded. "Exactly!"

Aiden took Hope's face between his hands. "I'm so sorry I said all those horrible things to you! I didn't mean a single word of them! I would _never_ sleep with another woman. I have no need to when I already have everything I could possibly want and more in a woman with you."

Hope smiled. "You better mean that!"

Aiden's eyes lowered. "It's the truest thing I've ever said in my life along with I love my son."

Hope pulled him in for a kiss. "Good. You keep it that way."

Aiden shook his head. "Trust me, there's no stopping my love for you—ever. Now that I have you, there will never be another woman for me, Hope. I already have the perfect woman in you."

Hope smiled, and looked away. "Trust me, I'm far from perfect."

Aiden tilted her chin so that she was forced to look him in the eyes. "You're perfect to me."

They kissed again.

"I have to go give Bo hell," Hope murmured between kisses.

"Can it wait until I give you Heaven?" Aiden asked.

"You give me Heaven every day I'm with you, Aiden," Hope said. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too. You can't even imagine how much I love you," Aiden said to her.

Hope's eyes lowered with love for him. "Then show me," she murmured in his ear.

Aiden moaned. "Gladly." He then picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He didn't know how he was going to get through this whole blackmail thing, but he did know one thing—he and Hope would get through it together.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7:**_

Hope slammed the door when she arrived Home. Ciara was out with Aiden and Chase. Aiden had graciously offered to take Ciara to dinner and a movie with him and Chase so that Hope could get some alone time with Bo to give him a piece of her mind.

Bo looked up in surprise from where he was reading the paper on the couch. "Bad day at work?" he asked. "Where's Ciara?"

"I didn't work today," Hope said, dropping her purse on the end table. "Ciara's out with Aiden and Chase."

Bo raised an eyebrow and set down the paper. "Oh?"

"Are you surprised, Bo?" Hope asked, feeling her blood start to boil again.

Bo shook his head. "I'm surprised you're not with them."

Hope could tell that the wheels were turning in Bo's head. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that Aiden and I are having problems, and that is the reason why I didn't go with him."

Bo stood up. "Is it?"

Hope nodded. "Yes. He admitted he cheated on me."

"That scum! I knew he was bad news from the moment I heard about him!" Bo said, clenching his fists.

Hope walked over to him and embraced him. "Oh, Bo! How could I ever think I could replace you with another man?"

Bo gently stroked her back. "It's okay, Hope. I understand. I was gone for a long time. You needed love, so you moved on with Aiden, where you thought you'd find love. You wanted comfort so badly because of how much you missed me, so you let it cloud your judgement with Aiden. It's understandable."

Hope looked up at him. "So, we can go back to being married? You won't leave me again?"

Bo nodded. "We never stopped being married. I never signed the divorce papers. And if I have to leave again, don't worry. I'll bring you with me. Ciara can be homeschooled. We can travel on the boat again, just like old times. Ciara will love it!"

"And we can forget the last two years ever happened just like that!" Hope said.

Bo nodded. "Exactly!"

Hope gently stroked his face. "I missed you so much, Brady. I want to make up for lost time."

Bo lowered his eyes. "I missed you too. So, so much! I'm glad you finally see things my way." He went into kiss her.

Hope went in like she was going to kiss him, but then she smacked him hard across the face. "You stupid, gullible, cocky, arrogant son of a bitch!"

Bo was taken aback to say the least. "What the hell?"

Hope narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you really that stupid to think you can blackmail my fiancé, and everything would just go according to your plan?"

"That son of a bitch told you, didn't he?" Bo asked, rubbing his cheek.

Hope nodded. "You're damn right, he told me! He tried to lie to me at first, but unlike you, he has a conscious and ended up telling me the truth. Also unlike you, he didn't want to do anything that would cause him to lose me."

"Fancy Face, I—"

"Don't call me that!" Hope snapped. "Ever again! That is a term of love and endearment, and right now, there is no love here. Don't even try to say you love me. If you did, you never would have chosen taking down the Dimeras over me and Ciara."

Bo sighed. "I made a mistake, Hope. I'm back now, aren't I?"

Hope nodded. "Yeah, with the intention of leaving again. Did it ever occur to you that maybe Ciara and I don't want to leave Salem? I have a job here, and Ciara has a school, classmates, and friends, all of which she adores. Even if you _hadn't_ blackmailed Aiden, did you really think I'd forgive you for abandoning Ciara and I just like that?"

Bo shrugged. "I was hoping you would. After all, I'm back now, aren't I?"

Hope shook her head. "Too little, too late, Bo. Too little too late. My gosh, I don't even know who you are anymore! I mean, come on, Bo! Do you not see yourself? You were willing to ruin a child's life! Chase would have not only been traumatized for the rest of his life, but without any parents!"

"I wasn't really going to go to the police! I was just bluffing to get Aiden away from you and out of Salem," Bo grumbled. "It's not my fault if he was dumb enough to believe me."

Hope raised an eyebrow. "Were you really bluffing, Bo? Because frankly, right now I wouldn't put it past you."

"You have my word!" Bo promised. "I wasn't going to go to the cops. I'm not a heartless bastard. I don't even blame the guy, really. I would have done the same thing for Ciara in his shoes. I was just desperate to get you back."

"I'm sorry, Bo, but like I said, I've moved on with Aiden now, and I'm going to marry him. There is nothing you can do to stop me. I ask that you won't even try to stop me. A part of me will always love you, Bo. After all, you're the father of our children. But you left me. You abandoned Ciara and me for two years! I don't think I can ever get past that. And as for Aiden, Bo, I am so in love with him! He makes me so, _so_ happy, and I know _he_ would never abandon Ciara and me. He's the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with—not you. Please respect that."

"I never stopped loving you, Hope. I was just trying to protect our family," Bo said, his eyes filling with tears.

"Yeah, well, you went about it the wrong way. You left Ciara and me when we needed you the most. My feelings for you have changed drastically. I love you a friend, and the father of my child. You will always have me as a friend, Bo. Nothing can ever take that away. But as far as a husband and a lover…" Hope paused and looked away for a moment, tears in her eyes as well. She looked back at Bo. "I'm sorry, Bo, but those days are over and never coming back. I no longer have those kind of feelings for you."

Bo sighed. "So there's no getting you back no matter what I do or say?"

Hope shook her head. "Not eve a one percent change. I'm going to marry Aiden, Bo. I love him."

Bo sighed, tears still in his eyes. "Well, then I guess I have no choice but to sign those divorce papers."

Hope nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Is it safe to hug you?" Bo asked.

Hope smiled. "Of course!"

Bo hugged her. "If Aiden ever hurts you, there's going to be hell to pay."

Hope laughed. "He won't, but thank you. I appreciate it."

Just then, the door opened, and in came Ciara. "Does this mean you two are getting back together?" Ciara asked in surprise.

Hope and Bo broke a part, and looked toward the door, where Ciara, Chase, and Aiden were all standing. Aiden looked quite startled and worried all rolled into one upon seeing his fiancé hugging her ex-husband, who by the way, had blackmailed him. He didn't look pleased.

Hope quickly broke apart from Bo. "No, Ciara, you know I'm engaged to Aiden now. Your father and I are always going to be friends, and on good terms. After all, we created you and your brothers together. But that is all. What are you doing back so early?"

"I didn't want to go to the lame movie they had picked out, so I made Aiden take me home," Ciara said.

Bo smirked.

"Sorry about that," Aiden said t Hope apologetically.

"No, I'm sorry for my rude child," Hope said, giving Ciara a look.

Ciara just shrugged. "Well it was."

"Ciara, why don't you go up and show Chase your room?" Bo asked.

"He's seen it before. It hasn't changed any since the last time he saw it," Ciara replied.

"Show him anyway. You might have missed something," Bo gently ordered.

Ciara rolled her eyes. "If you wanted to be alone with Mom and Aiden, all you had to do was ask. You don't have to make up some lame thing about showing Chase my room." She turned to Chase. "Come on, Chase. I'll show you Mom's bedroom this time."

Chase grinned. "Cool! I've never seen it before!"

Hope gasped, and watched in shock as the kids ran up the stairs. "Don't touch anything!" she called up.

"Yeah, that aint' gonna happen," Aiden said.

"Don't I know it," Hope said with a sigh.

Bo walked over to Aiden. "I believe I have an apology to make. I should not have blackmailed you. I especially shouldn't have threatened you when it involved Chase."

Aiden nodded. "You're right, you shouldn't have."

Bo ignored Aiden's tone. "I was never actually going to turn you in. Despite what you might think, I'm not a total monster. I was just bluffing. We may have our differences to say the least, but you covering up for your son shows what a really good father you are. I commend you for that. I would have done the same thing to protect Ciara."

"Well, aside from abandoning Ciara, I know deep down you're a good father too. I appreciate the apology," Aiden said with a polite nod.

"I promised Hope I'd sign the divorce papers and I will. I can see how happy you've made her in my absence," Bo stated.

"And will continue to make her even in your presence," Aiden stated in return.

Bo nodded. "Fair enough. But if you ever break her heart, I'll break your jaw. Got it?"

Aiden nodded. "You will never have to worry about that, but dully noted."

"I'll leave you two alone. I'm going to go visit my ma," Bo said. He turned to Hope. "I'll be back later to say goodnight to Ciara and grab a bag. I'm going to move into a room above the pub for the time being."

Hope nodded. "All right. Thank you."

Bo then left without another word to Aiden.

Aiden waked over to Hope. "I was surprised to see you hugging him after he blackmailed me. I was even worried for a moment that you really had chosen him over me."

Hope took him in her arms. "Oh, Mr. Jennings, have a little faith! Like I said, he is the father of my children, and he and I have a lot of history. He may have gone about it the wrong way, but he was just desperate to win me back. I believe him when he says he was just bluffing. He's a hot head sometimes, and just doesn't think. But I told him I am never, ever going back to him, and that all romantic feelings I had for him are completely gone, never to return. I told him how happy you make me, and how madly in love I am with you. I told him, I'm going to marry you whether he likes it or not. That was when he said he agreed to sign the divorce papers."

"Good, because, I couldn't bear to lose you, Hope. You're the love of my life," Aiden said, gently stroking her cheek.

Hope lowered her eyes with love for him. "And you're the love of mine."

They kissed, and kissed some more until they ended up on the couch, Hope lying underneath Aiden as their kisses intensified, and their hands roamed each other's body.

"Come on, get a room! Preferably when we're not here," Chase complained.

Hope and Aiden quickly sat up.

"Sorry. I had forgotten you guys were upstairs," Hope said.

Aiden nodded, and cleared his throat. "Me too."

"Nice, Mom," Ciara said sarcastically. She glanced at Aiden. "And Aiden."

Hope hid a smile behind her hand.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave. "I will see you tomorrow, and maybe we can continue this once the kids are in school?"

"Mm, count on it," Hope murmured.

"Okay, ew. That's just gross. You're ruining my innocent ears," Chase complained.

Ciara rolled her eyes. "We all know our parents have sex. How do you think we were made, Moron?"

"Ciara! Don't call Chase a moron," Hope chastised.

Ciara shrugged. "Sorry."

Hope and Aiden grinned at each other.

"You better go before your daughter corrupts my son any further," Hope joked.

Aiden nodded, then kissed her. "I think that's a good idea."

He got up, and after they said their goodbyes, and kissed once more in Hope and Aiden's case, Aiden and Chase left.

"Ciara, you really need to work on your charm and manners," Hope told her.

Ciara shrugged. "Hey, I just speak the truth! Where'd Dad go?"

"He went to visit your grandma. He'll be back soon to tuck you in. Now go get ready for bed," Hope replied.

"One more thing," Ciara said to Hope.

Hope raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love Dad, but I'm glad you're still marrying Aiden. He makes you happier than Dad does, and he's really nice." With that, Ciara headed up the stairs to get ready for bed.

Hope smirked. When Ciara approved, Hope knew she had made the right decision. Not that she had had any doubt before. With a happy heart, she headed to her bedroom to get ready for bed then call Aiden. She missed him already.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8:**_

The next morning, the kids went off to school, and Aiden and Hope went to the park together.

They held hands as they walked by the water.

"I can hardly wait to marry you. I have an idea for our wedding you know," Aiden said as they walked.

Hope smiled, and rested her head on his shoulder for a second. "What's the idea?"

"Well, I was thinking we could get married on a yacht. Wouldn't it be beautiful to have a wedding on the ship while sailing off into the sunset?"

"Then we could have the reception at night with pretty fairy lights all over the boat! I actually kind of love that idea," Hope said, looking up at him now.

"I know you said you and Bo used to go on your boat together. Would it remind you too much of you and Bo?" Aiden asked, concern in his voice. "Because if it does, we can totally just get married on the beach like we originally planned."

"It will be nothing like Bo and I because I am with you, and yours and my relationship is entirely new and fresh." Hope squeezed his hand. "We'll be making our own memories now."

Aiden stopped her, and faced her toward him, his hands over her cheeks. "I love you so much, Hope. I was so worried I was going to lose you when Bo came back in to town. The fact that you chose me over him, and that you still want to marry me…. You have no idea how happy you've made me."

Hope gently stroked his hair. "If it's half as happy as you make me, Aiden, I know exactly how you feel."

Aiden's eyes lowered with love for her, and they kissed.

After a moment, Hope broke the kiss, licking her lips. "So, I was thinking, I know Ciara had her heart set on being the flower girl, but we both know she is a bit too old for that. I was thinking we could have Ariana be our flower girl. I'm sure if I make Ciara a bride's maid, she'll be just as happy. What part are you giving Chase in the wedding? Her happiness is going to be dependent on her role verses his. She has to be at least equal to Chase. If she is anything less than his role, she will throw a fit. And trust me, Ciara's fits aren't pretty. Certainly not something we want to go through on our wedding day."

Aiden laughed. "Trust me, I know that oh too well. I was going to make him my best man since I don't have many friends here, but to make things easier, I can just make him a groomsman."

Hope placed a hand over Aiden's shoulder. "You know what? I'll just make Ciara my maid of honor. She definitely won't complain about being the most important person on my side."

"Besides you of course," Aiden said, kissing her again.

They kissed for a while more, then Hope broke the kiss again. "Seriously though, you really _don't_ have many friends here. Who are you going to get to be your groomsmen?"

Aiden tapped his lips as if thinking about it. "Well, I suppose I could get Clyde to be in it." He put on his best hillbilly accent. "I reckon he'd be gosh darn happy as a cat in a yarn shop to be in it!"

Hope laughed, and swatted his arm. "Don't you dare!"

Aiden grinned. "Don't worry. I'm sure Daniel and Eric would be willing to be in it. Heck, I'll ask Rafe as well. Three should be good enough, right?"

Hope nodded. "That should be perfect." She latched her arm in his, and they continued to walk. "Do you think it would be too weird for me to ask Kayla to be a bridesmaid?"

"Well, she already gave you her approval when you first started dating me. She knows her brother abandoned you. I think she'd be happy to do it," Aiden replied.

"I know, but now that Bo is back, I'm worried she won't be on our side anymore." Hope knew that probably wouldn't be the case, but still, she worried.

"Talk to her about it. I'm sure she is still on our side." Aiden kissed her cheek. "Who else are you going to have? I'll have to find a ring bearer. Maybe Parker?"

"Parker would be perfect! Jennifer and Maggie maybe as bridesmaids besides Kayla?" Hope asked.

"Are you sure Maggie's not too old to be one?" Aiden joked.

Hope raised an eyebrow at him. "For your sake, I won't tell her you said that."

Aiden laughed. "I'm just saying, you don't see old bags as bridesmaids too often. They're usually young and pretty!"

Hope gasped, and playfully pushed him. "Aiden Jennings, you can be a real jackass when you want to be."

"Aw, come on! You know I was only joking." He pulled her closer to him by the waist. "Maggie is very beautiful and youthful looking, and she's always been on our side, which makes her okay in my book. I'm sure she will be honored to be your bridesmaid."

Hope smiled. "All right, I'll ask her." She hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I just want everything to be perfect, and there's so much more to plan! Catering, color scheme, flowers…"

"We can get a wedding planner. Anyway, everything _will_ be perfect because I'm finally marrying the woman of my dreams," Aiden murmured, his nose buried in her hair.

Hope sighed contently. "And I'm marrying my soul mate."

They kissed some more.

It was Aiden who broke the kiss this time. He took her hands in his own and kissed them. "Let's go back to my place."

Hope nodded. "I believe we have to finish something we started yesterday," she said with a grin, her lips against his ear.

"Why do you think I suggested going back to my place?" Aiden murmured.

They grinned at each other, then kissed once more before heading back to Aiden's hand-in-hand.

Hope arrived at the pub for dinner. After her mid-morning rendezvous with Aiden, they had gotten lunch together, then he had to go to work. She had then gone to Kayla's to talk to her. Kayla had assured her that, though she loved her brother, she loved Hope too, and as long as Hope was happy, she was happy. She was honored to be her bridesmaid.

That alone had put Hope in a good mood, and when Jennifer and Maggie had also happily accepted her offer to be bridesmaids, it had simply made her day perfect. She had even gotten Sonny and Will's permission to have Ari be their flower girl, so now she was all set when it came to her wedding party.

When she entered the pub, she wasn't surprised to see Bo there with Ciara. She had already agreed to have a family dinner together. That is, if she could still call Bo family. She supposed they would always be family.

She walked over and exchanged cheek kisses with Bo, then she sat down at the table with them. "Hello, Ciara! How was school today?"

"So cool! Daddy took me out early to spend the day with me. We went to the zoo and out to lunch. It was so fun!" Ciara said, excitement in her voice.

Hope glanced at Bo. "When did you take her out?"

Bo looked guilty. "Right before lunchtime. I'm sorry. I should have asked you first."

"Don't worry about it. You made Ciara happy, and she hadn't gotten to spend time with you in a while. Just don't make a habit out of it."

"So, how was _your_ day?" Bo asked.

Hope looked over her menu. "It was good. Aiden and I planned out our wedding party." She looked at Ciara. "I was thinking you could be my maid of honor instead of the flower girl. Is that okay?"

Ciara grinned big. "Are you kidding me? I got a total upgrade! Score!" Then she paused. "What is Chase going to be?"

"Aiden's best man," Hope replied.

"Darn! I wanted to be of higher importance than him. Oh well, I'll still do my job better than he will."

Bo smirked. "Of higher importance? Where do you come up with this stuff? And you do realize all you have to do is stand there, right?"

"Not true! I have to help Mom plan the bachelorette party and the wedding," Ciara said defiantly.

Hope gently stroked Ciara's hair. "Um, Ciara, Honey, I think I'm going to leave the bachelorette party to Aunt Kayla and Cousin Jennifer. But I can totally use your help on everything else. Okay?"

Ciara sighed. "Okay I guess. I can hardly wait until I'm old enough to be part of the fun stuff!"

Bo and Hope both laughed.

"That's our daughter for ya," Hope said.

"I'm really going to miss her," Bo replied.

Hope looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"You're leaving _again_?" Ciara asked, clearly hurt.

"I still have work to do! But don't worry. I'm not going to disappear for years again. In fact, I was wondering if you wanted to spend the summer with me, sailing around the world. We can even stop by and see your brother. It would be nice to see Shawn, Belle, and your niece again, wouldn't it?" Bo smiled at Ciara, hopefulness in his tone.

Ciara looked at Hope. "Can I, Mom?"

Hope nodded. "I don't see why not if that's how you want to spend your summer. But what about the wedding?"

Ciara nodded. "I do want to spend it sailing the world! Can't you make your wedding the end of June when school ends? That way I can be in the wedding, and then we'll leave right after that."

Hope sighed. She supposed one month earlier wouldn't make a difference. Besides, Ciara could use this time with her father, she knew. "I'll talk to Aiden. It shouldn't be a problem."

Ciara squealed in happiness and looked over at her father. "Can we go to Paris? I always wanted to go to Paris!"

"We can go anywhere you'd like, Baby girl," Bo told her.

"Yay! Can you buy me new outfits for our trip too?" Ciara asked.

"Ciara!" Hope scolded.

Ciara shrugged. "What? I'm just asking. Aiden bought me a thousand dollar necklace, and he's not even my dad!"

"What? When did he buy you that?" Hoped asked in surprise.

"He bought me it as a bribe to shut up when I caught him looking through your rings before he proposed," Ciara tattled.

Hope shook her head. "I thought they looked out of place! He must have been looking for a ring so he'd know my size."

"I'll buy you anything you'd like for our trip within reason," Bo said to Ciara.

Ciara clapped her hands together and grinned. "Yay!"

"She's going to come home more spoiled than a rotten egg," Hope muttered.

"At least I won't be buying her a thousand dollar necklace," Bo quipped.

"His intentions were good, I'm sure," Hope defended Aiden.

Their server came then, and they ordered their food.

"I'm going to go tell grandma about my trip!" Ciara said once their server had left. She ran off toward the kitchen.

"Don't take long! Our food will be out shortly!" Hope called out after her.

"Thank you," Bo said to Hope once Ciara was gone. "For agreeing to move your wedding up, and for letting me take her."

"It's fine. Spending time with her father is way overdue and much needed," Hope said in understanding. Her tone turned serious then, and her eyes bore into Bo's. "But don't even think about not bringing her back. I swear to you, Bo, if you do that I will hunt you down and make you regret the day you were born."

Bo held his hands up. "I would never do that to you _or_ Ciara. I know she needs her mother. I also realize now, she needs a steady home life. I know you and Aiden can give that to her. I'm going to try to be home a lot more often."

Hope nodded. "Good! Just so long as we have that understanding."

"That we do," Bo agreed. "But seriously, a thousand dollar necklace?"

Hope smiled and shook her head. "That's just Aiden for you." She knew she should be angry, but she simply couldn't be. The fact that Aiden wanted to surprise her so badly that he paid a thousand dollars to shut Ciara up… It made her fall even more madly in love with him than she already was.

As it turned out, Bo was gone the next morning after seeing Ciara off to school. He had an important job to do, and the less Hope knew the better, according to Bo.

Hope wasn't surprised. It was the same ol' same ol'. However, he promised he would not let Ciara down this time, and would be back to pick her up after the wedding.

Aiden had gladly agreed to move their wedding up, since he had wanted to get married earlier anyway. In fact, upon getting the new wedding date, which they had decided would June twenty-seventh, the last Saturday in June, he rented the yacht out for that date.

"So, Ciara tells me you bought her a thousand dollar necklace?" Hope asked, an eyebrow raised at Aiden as they ate breakfast together at the pub.

Aiden blushed. "I'm sorry. I had no choice. She blackmailed me. I wanted it to be a surprise that I was going to propose to you, but then she caught me looking through your rings. I wanted one so that I knew what size to have your engagement ring made up."

Hope smiled. "It's all right. Just don't go making a habit of buying her expensive things, all right?"

Aiden nodded. "No worries there. However, I'm still going to spoil my girls. You can't ask me not to do that!"

Hope grinned. "You don't have to do that, but I won't complain."

Aiden grinned too. "So, Chase was talking about going to a baseball camp now that Ciara won't be here to hang out with him this summer. I was thinking of sending him."

"But that would leave us the whole summer all to ourselves, newly married," Hope said, feigning innocence. She placed a hand to her heart. "Whatever shall we do, all alone, just the two of us?"

Aiden placed his hands over hers from across the table. "I think we can figure something out," he said, his voice lowered.

"I suppose we'll have to," Hope said, the desire easily seen in her eyes. "I can hardly wait to become your wife."

Aiden kissed her hands. "Five months, and we'll be married."

Hope kissed his hands in return. "Yes," she said with a smile. Five short months—less than a half year—and she would be Mrs. Aiden Jennings. "I'll be counting the days."

"Me too," Aiden replied.

Hope then got out of her seat and sat on his lap.

They the kissed, both so eager and excited for June 27 to finally arrive.

_***The End***_


End file.
